Systems and methods for transporting a product using an environmental sensor

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods disclosed herein use environmental sensor technology to enhance the tracking and transporting capabilities of a product delivery system. The systems and methods provide the capability to track and verify the environmental condition(s) to which a product is subjected during its transportation or movement through a supply chain. In particular, the systems and methods allow a sender, a receiver, and other authorized persons to access or interrogate environmental data that describes the environmental conditions to which a product within a container has been subjected during transport from the sender to the receiver. The systems and methods also permit in-transit intercept handling when it is determined that a package was unexpectedly subjected to an environmental condition that by definition makes it unfit for delivery to the original receiver.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to shipping of a product by acarrier under controlled or monitored environmental conditions, such ascan be provided by a refrigerated vehicle or shipping container. Moreparticularly, the subject invention relates to systems and methods forprocessing a product during shipment in response to environmentalconditions to which the product is subjected during transportation andstorage while in transit from a sender to a receiver of the product.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Shipping carriers, such as UPS®, Inc., transport a wide variety ofproducts on behalf of their customers. In most cases, a carrier'scustomers are either a sender (or “consignor”) or a receiver (or“consignee”). As the terms are used herein, a “sender” refers to theperson or entity sending the product to a receiver via the carrier, andthe “receiver” is the person or entity receiving the product from thesender via the carrier.

Typically, a sender places a product to be shipped in a container orpackage for shipment, attaches an address label indicating the identityof the receiver and the receiver's address, and leaves the containerwith the product in a designated place for pickup by the carrier fordelivery to the receiver. A driver of a carrier vehicle typicallyobtains the container with enclosed product at the pickup location, anduses a handheld wireless device to enter relevant data from the shippinglabel into a tracking system so that the fact that the container andproduct has been picked up by the carrier can be recorded. The driverthen loads the container with its product in the vehicle, and transportssame to a hub for sorting and distribution to the next location alongthe route designated for the package by the carrier's internal routingand control systems. From this hub, the container can be directlydelivered to the receiver's location if the delivery is to a receiver inthe same vicinity as the sender. Alternatively, the container with theproduct can be transported via aircraft, train, or a wheeled vehicle toanother hub nearer to the receiver's location. It is possible that thecontainer with product can be transported through one or moreintermediate hubs before reaching the hub serving the receiver location.A delivery vehicle then transports the container and product thereinalong the final leg of its route to the receiver's location to completedelivery of the product in its container. The receiver can then open thecontainer and retrieve the product for its own use, or can deliver orsell the product to another person in the distribution chain to the enduser of the product.

For the purpose of routing, tracking, and billing for shipment of aproduct, a carrier can maintain computerized shipping recordsidentifying the sender, the sender's shipping account to be charged forthe product shipment, the sender's address, the receiver, the receiver'saddress for delivery, the level of service selected for shipping theproduct (i.e., overnight delivery, next-day delivery, two-day delivery,etc.), the weight and dimensions of the container and enclosed productwhich can be used for logistics planning and billing for the productshipment, special handling instructions for the product, and possiblyother information. Some carriers provide the capability to track ashipped product in transit from the sender to the receiver. Thisprovides the benefit of permitting the sender and receiver to determinethe status of the shipped product while it is within the carrier'stransportation and storage network.

In addition to providing peace of mind to the sender and/or receiver asto the location and status of the product within the carrier'stransportation and storage network at any given time, such trackinginformation can permit the receiver to project when the product willarrive at the receiver's location. The receiver can thus plan activitiesthat are contingent upon receipt of the product, such as theavailability of machinery and labor for handling the product, etc. Inaddition, tracking information permits the sender or receiver to verifythat certain actions, such as shipping or delivery of the product, havein fact been taken. This can be useful for verifying compliance (ordetermining noncompliance) with a contract between the sender andreceiver. Such tracking information can also be useful to interestedthird parties such as insurers, guarantors, or banks, who can have aninterest in a product shipment.

To access tracking information, some carriers permit use of a trackingidentifier, generally included as a string of alphanumeric characters orbar code, on the shipping label. A customer or other interested partycan access such tracking information by contacting a customer servicerepresentative of the carrier by telephone and providing the trackingidentifier to such representative. The representative can then use thetracking identifier to reference the computerized shipping records via anetwork internal to the carrier to provide the requested product statusinformation to the customer. Alternatively, some carriers permitcustomers to directly access shipment tracking information by using aweb-based device to access the carrier's computer system via theInternet.

Despite the wide variety of goods shipped by a carrier, most items aretransported in a routine manner according to standard shippingprocedures developed by the carrier. In other words, despite the varioussizes and types of containers and products that can be shipped by acarrier, the containers and their products are handled in the samegeneral way using the same integrated system of hubs with sorters,conveyors, loading and unloading locations, storage areas, andtransportation vehicles. However, in some cases, the nature of someproducts can require a carrier to apply special handling or exceptionprocessing during the transporting of such products from a sender to areceiver. The term “special handling” encompasses a variety ofoperations in which particular products (or a shipment of products) areidentified and separated from routine product shipments to be handleddifferently from routine product shipments in the shipping carrier'stransportation and storage system. Such special handling can include,for example, transporting sensitive, explosive, hazardous, or toxicproducts in a special way. Such handling can be mandated by applicablelaw or regulation for shipment of the product, can be necessary in orderto comply with a customer's request for handling the product, or can benecessary due to the carrier's internal policies or experiences withproducts of a particular nature. For example, the carrier can be askedby a customer or third party to verify that a refrigerated containerholding biological material is functioning at various points along thecontainer's shipping route.

Maintaining the integrity of a product in its protective containerthroughout transport can be critical to use of the contained product bythe receiver or end user. For example, wine typically needs to bemaintained within a certain temperature range in order to preserve adesired taste. Therefore, a carrier can be requested to handle a packagecontaining wine with extra care or to inspect the package at one or morepoints along its route to assure continued viability of the product. Forexample, the carrier can transport a wine shipment in atemperature-controlled container. By checking a temperature gaugeassociated with the container at various points along the transportationroute designated for the wine product in the carrier's logisticsnetwork, proper handling of the product can be inferred from gaugereadings confirming the product to be at a permissible temperature.

However, such technique does not inform or alert the carrier andcustomer as to whether proper environmental conditions were or were notmaintained during the times the product was in the carrier's logisticsnetwork between checkpoints. Therefore, unbeknownst to either thecarrier or customer, it is possible that the receiver can be providedwith a product shipment that was subjected to an environmental conditionthat makes it unfit for use by the receiver or end user. Thus, exposureto an environmental condition can damage or destroy the productshipment, or possibly even render it dangerous to the receiver or enduser. Furthermore, continuing to ship a product that has been renderedunfit for the receiver's or end user's purposes by exposure to anenvironmental condition can result in a substantial waste oftransportation, labor, financial, and other resources of the carrierand/or the customer.

Therefore, a need exists in the art for a method and system forprocessing packages that require transport according to one or moreprescribed environmental conditions. The method and system shouldprovide a way of verifying whether or not certain environmentalconditions are maintained throughout the shipping process for a product.Additional benefits could be obtained if the system and method couldreact to exposure of a product to an environmental condition renderingit unfit, to avoid unnecessary use of the carrier's or other'sresources.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in its various embodiments, overcomes theabove-noted disadvantages of previous devices and techniques.

The present invention provides a method and system for verifying whethera certain environmental condition(s) has been maintained for a productcontained in a package or container throughout the process of shippingthe package. Furthermore, embodiments of the invention provide thecapability to react during transport in the event that the containedproduct is subjected to an environmental condition that makes it unfitfor delivery to the receiver to avoid unnecessary expenditure ofresources on further delivery of such unfit product. In accordance withthe present invention, these objects are accomplished by a system andmethod that monitors and processes a product(s) by employing one or moreenvironmental sensors traveling with the product to determineenvironmental condition(s) affecting the product during shipment.

One embodiment of the present invention is a system which comprises anenvironmental sensor that is associated with a product in a container,at least one scanner for scanning the sensor at one or more locations toread product environment data from the sensor, and a computer connectedto communicate with the scanner(s). The computer is operable to generatea transporting instruction for transporting the product in the containerbased on the scanned product environment data. This transportinginstruction can be provided to a human worker or machinery, or acombination thereof, to properly route the product. The environmentalsensor can be a radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensor tagphysically associated with the product, which senses the environmentalcondition to which the contained product is subjected to generate theproduct environment data.

Because the sensor travels with the product during shipment, the sensorcan obtain periodic or sampled data readings of environmental conditionsto more accurately reflect the conditions to which the product has beensubjected during shipment. A relatively complete record of theenvironmental conditions to which the product has been subjected can beobtained through this process, even at points of the product's routeremote from the scanner location. This permits the carrier, sender,receiver, or other interested party to verify that the product has beensubjected to proper environmental conditions during its transportationfrom the sender to the receiver. In the event the product has beensubjected to environmental conditions rendering it unfit for thereceiver's or end user's purposes, this too can be determined from thedata readings stored in the sensor and read by the scanner. The productenvironment data can comprise data indicating at least one of a varietyof environmental conditions including temperature, pressure, vacuum,vibration, shock, humidity, moisture, light, air, and a chemical, whichthe product has experienced during transportation. Deviation ofmeasurements of one or more of these conditions transcending aprescribed limit can trigger the system to route the package to adifferent location than it otherwise would have been routed for specialhandling.

Additionally, the scanner can be configured to read identification datafrom the container, product, or both. This identification data can beprovided on a medium such as a shipping label as alphanumericcharacters, a one- or two-dimensional barcode, or otheroptically-readable indicia. Alternatively, or in addition tooptically-readable media, the identification data can be provided as anelectro-magnetically-readable medium such as an RFID tag. The scannercan thus have optical and/or electromagnetic scanning capability, forexample. The medium bearing the identification data is attached orotherwise physically associated with the container and/or product. Theidentification data identifies the product and/or container to which thescanned product environment data relates. The identification dataindicating the product and/or its container can be scanned and used tostore corresponding product environment data in the system.

Furthermore, tracking data associated with the scanning of the productenvironment data, such as data indicating the location of the containedproduct at the time of scanning associated identification data from theproduct and/or container in the carrier's logistics network, can begenerated and stored by the system. Access to such product environmentdata, and optionally also the tracking data, can be provided by thesystem to an interested party such as the sender and/or receiver, forexample, based on a request received by the system from such party. Thisrequest can be made via telephone or via a computing device over anetwork such as the Internet, for example. The request can includeidentification data identifying a particular product and/or container,such as a tracking identifier, which the system uses to retrievecorresponding product environment data and/or tracking data from itsdata storage unit. The system retrieves this data and transmits same tothe requesting party(ies) via the telephone or to the computing deviceover the network.

The transporting instruction for processing a product shipment can begenerated by the system based on the product environment data bydetermining whether the contained product has been subjected to anenvironmental condition that transcends a limit indicating a maximum orminimum level, or a range of levels, defining an acceptable conditionfor the product. In one embodiment, the sensor stores shipping addressdata of a receiver to which the container and product are to be sent,and the transporting is performed so as to ship the container andproduct to the receiver based on the shipping address data so long asthe determining step has not established that the environmentalcondition has transcended a limit indicating a minimum or maximum levelfor the condition, or gone outside an acceptable range of levels.However, the transporting is performed differently if the environmentalcondition has transcended the limit(s). In another embodiment, thesystem performs the same operations using shipping address data that isobtained from a shipping label affixed to the container.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a computer systemthat comprises: a server capable of communicating with a plurality ofremote computers via a network. The remote computers are operable totransmit at least one of product environment data, tracking data, andidentification data associated with the container, the product, or both,to the server via the network. The system further comprises a databasestorage unit accessible by the server for storing product environmentand tracking data in association with identification data. The trackingdata can comprise time and location data identifying when and where atleast one scanning operation of a contained product took place duringthe shipping process. And, in one embodiment, the identification datacomprises a tracking identifier that uniquely identifies at least one ofthe container and product.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides an apparatuscomprising a database storage unit for storing identification dataassociated with at least one of a container and product, tracking datain association with the identification data, and product environmentdata in association with the identification data and the tracking data.In one embodiment, the tracking data comprises time and location dataidentifying when and where at least one scanning operation of thecontained product took place, and the identification data comprises atracking identifier that uniquely identifies at least one of thecontainer and product.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a method comprisingscanning an environmental sensor physically associated with a product ina container at one or more locations to read product environment datafrom the sensor, and transporting the container and product based on theproduct environment data. One embodiment further comprises determiningwhether the environmental condition of the contained product hastranscended a minimum or maximum limit based on the product environmentdata, and transporting the container and product based on the result ofthe determining step. The method can also include scanningidentification data, and generating tracking data associated with thescanning of the container and product.

In one embodiment, the sensor stores shipping address data of a receiverto which the container and product are to be sent. In anotherembodiment, shipping address data is located on a printed shipping labelaffixed to the container. Using the shipping address data, thetransporting can be performed so as to transport the container andproduct to the receiver based on the shipping address data so long asthe determining step described above has not established that theenvironmental condition has transcended the limit. However, thetransporting is performed differently if the environmental condition hastranscended the minimum or maximum limit.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a method comprisingreceiving identification data associated with at least one of acontainer and product at a computer system via a network from a remotescanner, and receiving product environment data at the computer systemvia the network from the remote scanner. The product environment datacan be obtained by scanning an environmental sensor associated with thecontained product. The method also comprises storing the productenvironment data in association with the identification data in thecomputer system. The method further comprises receiving tracking dataassociated with the contained product at the computer system via thenetwork from the remote scanner; and storing the tracking data inassociation with the identification data and the product environmentdata in the computer system.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention is a computer-readablestorage medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing amethod that includes receiving product environment data, the productenvironment data obtained by scanning an environmental sensor associatedwith a product in a container, and generating a transporting instructionfor transporting the container and product based on the productenvironment data. In one embodiment, the transporting instruction isgenerated based on determining whether the environmental condition ofthe product in the container has transcended a limit, based on theproduct environment data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale, and wherein:

FIG. 1. is a view of a product delivery system that employsenvironmental sensor technology to capture product environment data inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view of a sortation system that is operable to routeproducts based on product environment data associated with the packagesin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computer system in accordance with theinvention depicted in FIGS. 1-2.

FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram of steps of a method for transporting aproduct based on product environment data in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 5-6 are process flow diagrams of steps of a method for providinghistory data of the environmental conditions to which a product has beensubjected during shipment in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all,embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, these inventions can beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legalrequirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

The following paragraphs describe novel and nonobvious systems andmethods in which environmental sensor technology is used in connectionwith a product delivery system. The systems and methods described hereinprovide means for tracking and verifying the environmental conditions towhich a product within a container has been subjected during itsmovement through a supply chain.

As used herein the following terms have the following meanings:

“And/or” means any one, some or all of the things listed before andafter such term. Thus, “A, B, and/or C” means “any one, some, or all ofA, B, and C.”

“Container” will be used herein to refer to virtually any object thatcan be used to enclose or hold a product, such as an envelope, packet,mailing tube, bag, box, package, can, bucket, crate, palate, shippingcontainer, etc.

FIG. 1. is a view of a product delivery system 10 that employsenvironmental sensor technology to capture product environment data inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The system 10includes an environmental sensor 12 physically associated with a product13 in a container 14 that is to be shipped from a sender 16 to areceiver 18. The system 10 further comprises a carrier logistics network20 for shipping the container 14 with its product 13, and a computersystem 22 for monitoring various aspects of the shipping process.

In one embodiment, the environmental sensor 12 associated with theproduct 13 in the container 14 is a radio-frequency identification(RFID) sensor tag. As referred to herein, an RFID sensor is an automateddata collection device having an integrated environmental sensor. As isknown in the art, RFID sensor technology provides a wireless means ofautomated data collection that eliminates the need for a direct line ofsight between a data reader and the RFID tag. This allows the sensor tag12 to be placed anywhere on or in the product 13 or the container 14. Inother words, the sensor 12 can be placed inside the container 14, it canbe affixed to an outer surface of the container, or it can be positioneddirectly on the product 13 that is inside the container, for example.The environmental sensor portion of the device 12 is preferably capableof sensing one or more environmental conditions, such as temperature,pressure, vacuum, vibration, shock, humidity, moisture, light, air, andthe presence or absence of a chemical. These types of environmentalsensor devices 12 are “off-the-shelf” products known to those ofordinary skill in the art. For example, an RFID environmental sensorcapable of detecting changes in one or more such environmentalconditions is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,294,997 issued to Paratore,which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The product 13 and/or container 14 can have identification data 83 foridentifying the product and/or container 14. The identification data 83can be, by way of example and not limitation, a tracking identifier 23for uniquely identifying the product 13 and/or container 14 during theshipping process. The tracking identifier 23 can thus be an alphanumericnumber such as a “1Z” number or a barcode such as a one-dimensionalrepresentation of the “1Z” number uniquely assigned to a shipping label,or a Maxicode® two-dimensional pattern, which are used by UPS®, Inc. totrack packages. It is also possible that the identification data 83 canbe another kind of identifier, such as an electronic product code (EPC),global trade item number (GTIN), vehicle identification number (VIN),etc. The identification data 83 can as well comprises data indicatingthe serial or unit number of a product, its manufacturer, a stockkeeper's number (SKU), characteristics of the product, such as itscolor, style, size, weight, conditioning, the value added tax (VAT) towhich the product is subject, etc.

In one embodiment, the identification data 83 is stored in the sensor 12and can be read by a scanner at one or more points along the shippingroute. In another embodiment, the identification data 83 is identifiedon a printed medium 21 attached to the package. The printed medium 21can comprise a conventional shipping label with the identification data83 encoded in optically-readable form such as an alphanumeric characterstring, a one- or two-dimensional bar code, or other machine- orhuman-readable form. The identification data 83 can be used by thecomputer system 22 to allow product environment data 85, and optionallyalso tracking data 84, to be associated with the product 13 and/orcontainer 14 as it is shipped via the carrier's logistics network 20.

In other words, as the product 13 in the container 14 is transportedfrom the sender 16 to the receiver 18, scanners internal to thecarrier's logistics network 20 can scan the identification data 83 onthe container 14 and/or product 13, to generate tracking data 84indicating the status of the product during transport. For example, theidentification data 83 of the product 13 and/or container 14 can bescanned by such equipment at one or more of a number of differentpoints, such as by a driver 24 who picks up the package at the senderlocation 16 and uses a hand-held scanning device 26 to read theidentification data from the container 14, at hubs 28 that receive andsort the package and have equipment to scan the identification data, andfinally by the delivery driver 30 who delivers the package to thedelivery location 18 and uses a hand-held device 26, to scan theidentification data to generate tracking data 84 prior to delivery.

The tracking data 84 can include data identifying the date, time, andplace of particular events associated with the container 14 as it istransported from the sender 16 to the receiver 18 within the carrier'slogistics network 20. Such events can include the arrival or departureof the container 14 at or from particular locations within the logisticsnetwork 20 of the carrier as the package is transported. Such trackingdata 84 can also include the identity of persons handling the container14, such as the pickup or delivery driver, or a person acknowledgingreceipt of the package at a particular location by signing for thepackage. The tracking data 84 can be transmitted via a network 32 to thecomputer system 22 from the various scan locations, for storage therein.The computer system 22 can provide access to the tracking data 84related to the product 13 via the network 32, so that a sender 16, areceiver 18, pickup and delivery personnel, and potentially others, candetermine the status of the product 13 during transportation of theproduct in the carrier's logistics network.

Similarly, product environment data 85 can also be obtained by scanningthe environmental sensor 12 that is physically associated with theproduct 13, at one or more points along the shipping route. The type ofproduct environment data 85 obtained from the sensor 12 depends on thetype of sensor used. Preferably, the environmental sensor 12 is capableof sensing one or more environmental conditions such as temperature,pressure, vacuum, vibration, shock, humidity, moisture, light, air, andthe presence or absence of a particular chemical. In one embodiment, theenvironmental sensor 12 is an RFID sensor, and the product environmentdata 85 is read wirelessly when the sensor comes within range of ascanner. In one embodiment, the sensor 12 is operable to generate timedata in association with product environment data for indicating thetime of sensing the environment condition associated with the container14.

In other words, this type of sensor 12 can be used to record historydata of the environmental conditions that a product 13 and/or container14 is exposed to during transport. This is a great advantage overprevious technologies in that it provides the capability to determinewhat environmental conditions have impacted the product 13 duringshipment not only at checkpoints where scanners read data from thesensors 12, but also at other locations in between checkpoints since thesensor in effect maintains a record of the environmental conditionsaffecting the product along its journey through the carrier's logisticsnetwork 20. The capability to verify that one or more environmentalconditions have been maintained during transport and storage of aproduct can be extremely important when shipping a variety of productsthat require special handling. A few examples of products that mayrequire special handling because of their sensitivity to temperature,pressure, light, air and/or other environmental conditions includepharmaceuticals, biological tissue, drugs, and perishable foods.

This capability has numerous benefits, including providing the abilityfor the carrier's customer to confirm that the product 13 has not beensubjected to an adverse condition during shipment, and thus that theproduct is suitable for use by the receiver or other user downstream inthe supply chain from the receiver. It also enables the carrier toassure the customer that the product 13 has not been subjected to anadverse environmental condition, and thus that the carrier's contractwith the customer has been fulfilled. Moreover, the record ofenvironmental conditions to which the product 13 has been subjected canbe used to determine the entity at fault in subjecting the product to anenvironmental condition, rendering it unfit for use during shipment. Itcan also be used by the carrier for testing or quality control purposesto determine proper functioning and correction of the equipment andprocesses in its logistics network 20 to ensure that a product 13 is notsubjected to an environmental condition that renders it unfit for itsintended purpose during shipment. As will be described in detail below,the product environment data read from the sensor 12 can be used fortransporting the container 14 based on the product environment data.

The present invention can also operate with other types of environmentalsensors 12 known in the art. For example, in addition to detecting andrecording product environment data associated with a product 13 and/or acontainer 14, some environmental sensors 12 can be programmed todetermine whether the environmental condition of a product hastranscended a minimum or maximum limit or range, based on the productenvironment data detected by the sensor. In one embodiment, dataindicating whether a minimum or maximum limit or range was transcendedis read from the sensor 12 at one or more points in the shippingprocess. In another embodiment, the sensor 12 can comprise a visualindicator that changes its physical properties in response to anenvironmental condition transcending a minimum or maximum limit orrange. For example, the visual indicator can include at least onelight-emitting diode (LED). The LED can be used to signify that anenvironmental condition has transcended a minimum or maximum limit orrage by, for example, transitioning from a non-illuminated state to anilluminated state, or by being illuminated so as to change from a firstcolor (e.g., green) to a second color (e.g., red) in response to theenvironment condition of the contained product 13 transcending a minimumor maximum limit or range. These types of visual indicators can be usedto alert delivery personnel handling such packages 14 of the need totake appropriate action with regard to the product 13 that has beenexposed to an unacceptable environmental condition.

The invention is not limited to use of LEDs as visual indicators toindicate exposure of a product 13 to an unacceptable environmentalcondition: virtually any sensor 12 that changes its visual appearance orother physical property in response to an environmental condition can beused. Such sensor 12 can be one that permits sensing of sensor's statewithout requiring line of sight, or it can be one that requires line ofsight, or even contact, in order to read the sensor's state indicatingwhether the product 13 has been exposed to an adverse environmentalcondition. Possibilities of sensors 12 having visual indicators that canbe used in the subject invention include temperature-sensitive visualindicators such as paper thermometers or thermo-labels, liquid crystaltemperature strips which change color in response to changes intemperature, per hydronium (pH) strips which change color in response tothe pH of the product's environment, electrochemical sensor strips thatchange color in the presence of a chemical or element, sensor stripsthat measure an environmental condition such as the amount ofultraviolet light or other wavelength range, pressure-sensitive strips,and other devices.

As mentioned above, a relatively complete record of the environmentalcondition to which a product 13 has been subjected during shipment andstorage can be obtained by a sensor 12 that senses the environmentalcondition periodically or otherwise along its route and stores sensedproduct environment data 85 for later retrieval by a scanner. Howfrequently the sensor 12 should sample and store measurements as productenvironment data 85 depends upon the nature of the product 13 and itssensitivity to exposure to the environmental condition. In general, thesampling period of the sensor 12 should be less than the time requiredfor the product 13 to spoil when exposed to the environmental conditionto enable the fact of exposure to be recorded and read by a scanner inthe carrier's logistics network 20. Thus, for example, if the product 13will be spoiled by exposure to an unacceptable environmental conditionfor a few seconds, then the sensor should be capable of taking productenvironment data readings at least every second or less. Similarly, ifthe product 13 will spoil if exposed to an unacceptable environmentalcondition continuously over several hours, then the sensor 12 can takeproduct environment data readings on an hourly or minutely basis, forexample.

Spoilage of a product 13 can also depend not only on the time for whichthe product is exposed to an unacceptable environmental condition, butalso upon the severity of the environmental condition. Hence, the sensor12 can be such as to take product environment data readings morefrequently if an environmental condition is relatively severe, and lessfrequently if the environmental condition to which the product 13 isexposed is less severe. By storing the product environment data readingsin correspondence with the time at which such readings were taken, thescanner can read such data so that a relatively complete record of theproduct environment data 85 affecting the product 13 over time duringshipment can be obtained and stored in the computer system 22.

It should be understood that the sensor 12 can be such as to determineitself whether the environmental condition affecting the product 13 withwhich it is associated has transcended acceptable limit or range values.Thus, the sensor 12 can provide data indicating an alert to the scanner,which in turn relays this data to the carrier computer system 22. Inresponse to this data, the carrier computer system 22 can generate atransporting instruction 87 to transport the spoiled product 13 inaccordance with special handling procedures. As another alternative, thesensor 12 can merely store product environment data 85 which is read bya scanner and provided to the carrier computer system 22, which performsthe determination to establish whether the product environment data hastranscended prescribed limit values or ranges, and if so, generates thetransporting instruction 87 to the machinery and/or labor internal tothe carrier's logistics network 20 to affect special handling of theproduct 13. Thus, the sensor 12 can be merely a sensor device, oralternatively, in addition to storing product environment data, it canperform processing to determine whether the product 13 has beensubjected to an unacceptable environmental condition, and if so, cantransmit the resulting alert data to the carrier computer system 22 viaa scanner over a network 32.

FIG. 2 shows a sortation system 36 that is operable to route products 13in containers 14 based on product environment data 85 associated withthe packages in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.In this embodiment, the sortation system 36 includes a conveyor belt 38,scanners 41 including an RFID interrogator 40 and an optical scanner 42,a hub control unit 44, one or more machine controller(s) 46, and one ormore sort machinery unit(s) 48. The sortation system 36 described hereincan be used in a carrier hub facility and/or as part of a pre-loadsortation system. A carrier hub facility is typically an interimfacility where contained products or packages are sorted for shipment toother carrier facilities in route to their ultimate destinations. Incontrast, products and their containers that pass through a pre-loadsortation system are sorted onto vehicles and delivered to their finaldestination. Although the following paragraphs describe this embodimentof the sortation system 36 in the context of a carrier hub facility 28,one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that thisembodiment is equally advantageous in the pre-load sortation context, orin any other package sortation operation.

A container 14 having an environmental sensor 12 arrives at a carrierhub facility 28 and is placed on a conveyor belt 38, which takes thepackage to the sortation system 36. In one embodiment, the environmentalsensor 12 associated with the container 14 is a radio-frequencyidentification (RFID) sensor. The container 14 also has shipping addressdata indicating the shipping address of a receiver 18 to which thepackage is to be sent. In one embodiment, the shipping address data isstored in the sensor 12. In another embodiment, the shipping addressdata is located on a conventional shipping label 21 associated with thecontainer 14. As the container 14 moves on the conveyor belt 38 to thesortation system 36, an interrogator 40 reads the RFID sensor 12 andcaptures product environment data 85. In one embodiment, theinterrogator 40 also captures shipping address data from the RFID sensor12. In another embodiment, the shipping address data is read from ashipping label 21 on the container 14 using an optical scanner 42 in amanner known in the art.

An RFID sensor 12 can be active or passive depending on whether theyhave an on-board power source or not. In general, an active sensor usesa battery(ies) to power its tag radio transmitter and receiver (ortransceiver). This type of sensor usually contains a greater number ofcomponents than does a passive sensor. Therefore, an active sensor isusually comparatively large in size and is generally more expensive thana passive sensor. In addition, the life of an active tag is directlyrelated to its battery life. In contrast, a passive tag derives itspower from the RFID interrogator 40 used to read it. It responds to theinterrogator's signal with a signal modulated by the data storedtherein. A passive tag does not use a battery to boost the energy of thereflected signal. But a passive tag can use a battery to maintain memoryin the tag or power the electronics that enable the tag to modulate asignal responsive to the interrogator's signal requesting the sensor toprovide it with its data. The selection of the sensor 12 for aparticular application can depend upon one or more of the above statedconsiderations regarding RFID sensors and their operation.

When the interrogator 40 reads the RFID sensor 12 associated with thecontainer 14, product environment data 85 is captured and sent by suchinterrogator to the hub control unit 44. Additionally, whether read fromthe sensor 12 using an interrogator 40 or read from a shipping label 21using an optical scanner 42, shipping address data associated with thepackage is captured and sent to the hub control unit 44. In oneembodiment, the hub control unit 44 is a system that controls themovement of packages through the carrier hub facility 28. A carrier hubfacility 28 generally contains multiple conveyors that move packages tovarious tip positions or locations 50 within the building based upon thedestination of the products in their containers as indicated by shippingaddress data. The hub control unit 44 controls transport of the packagewithin the hub to tip positions or locations 50 from which the containedproducts are loaded onto carrier vehicles for transport to the nextlocation along their routes, or are taken for special handling. The term“tip position” is known in the art and refers to a location in a carrierhub facility 28 in which packages bound for a particular destination aretipped off a conveyor belt and prepared for transit to that destination.Thus, for example, a hub control unit 44 can recognize that packagesthat are bound for Atlanta, Ga. need to be sorted to tip position #1,whereas packages bound for Los Angeles, Calif. should be sent to tipposition #49.

At the start of a package sort, the hub control unit 44 retrieves a hubmaster file 52 associated with the hub facility 28 and maps theinformation from the hub master file 52 to the sortation and tippositions 50 for the hub facility. In one embodiment, the data in thehub master file 52 determines the path that will be used to movepackages through the hub facility to their next destination. The hubcontrol unit 44 accesses the hub master file 52 and retrieves everypossible carrier hub facility that might be the next destination of apackage involved in the package sort. The hub control unit 44 then mapseach potential package destination to a unique tip position 50 in thehub facility 28. As packages are received, the hub control unit 44 usesthe hub master file 52 to determine the next hub facility destinationfor the package. The hub control unit 44 then determines which locationwithin the building (i.e. which tip position 50) to sort the container14 to so that the package will be routed to the proper hub facility. Andfinally, the hub control unit 44 determines the sortation path throughthe building so that the package will be sorted and transported to theproper tip location.

In one embodiment, the hub control unit 44 is operable to generate atransporting instruction for the container 14 based on productenvironment data obtained from the sensor 12 using the interrogator 40.In this embodiment, the hub control unit 44 determines whether theenvironmental condition of the product 13 within the container 14 hastranscended a minimum or maximum limit or a range of values based on theproduct environment data 85, thereby indicating that the product hasbeen exposed to an adverse environmental condition rendering it unfitfor its intended purpose. In another embodiment, the hub control unit 44can also be configured to determine whether the environmental conditionof the product 13 came “close” to transcending a first limit or range ofvalues, whereby “close” can be defined as whether or not theenvironmental condition of the product 13 transcended a second, relatedlimit or range of values, despite having not transcended the first limitor range of values.

In other words, the fact that the environmental condition of the product13 came “close” to transcending a limit or range of values may notrender the product unfit for its intended purpose. However, thediscovery of such an occurrence can trigger a requirement that thecarrier implement an expedited form of shipping so as to hasten thedelivery of the product 13 to the receiver 18. For example, suppose thata shipment of wine or meat is being shipped via some type of groundservice, and is expected to arrive at the receiver 18 no less than threedays from the time it is discovered that the environmental condition ofthe product 13 came “close” to transcending a limit or range of values,as determined by checking the product environment data 85 against asecond, related limit or range of values. To handle such cases, the hubcontrol unit 44 can be programmed to generate a transporting instructionthat upgrades the service level of the product 13 in the container 14from the current type of ground service to a next-day air service, forexample. Therefore, rather than continuing to transport the product 13to the receiver 18 for at least another three days, by which time theproduct may become unfit for its intended purpose, the product 13 in thecontainer 14 can be delivered to the receiver within one day ofdiscovering the problem.

Minimum or maximum limits or ranges can be stored on the sensor 12 andread by the interrogator 40, or they can be stored in a data storagedevice that is accessible by the hub control unit 44 using theidentification data that identifies the container 14. If the hub controlunit 44 determines that the environmental condition of the container 14has not transcended a minimum or maximum limit or range based on theproduct environment data, the hub control unit generates a transportinginstruction that causes the container 14 to continue along a shippingroute that will take the package to the receiver 18 indicated in theshipping address data. However, if the hub control unit 44 determinesthat the environmental condition has transcended a minimum or maximumlimit or range based on the product environment data, the hub controlunit can generate a transporting instruction indicating that thetransporting of the container 14 is to be performed differently.

In particular, when it is determined that the environmental condition ofthe container 14 has transcended a minimum or maximum limit or range ofvalues based on the product environment data, the hub control unit 44can generate a transporting instruction that causes the container 14 tobe redirected to a tip position 50 from which the package will be takento an alternate destination. The alternate destination can be anydestination other than the location of the receiver 18 indicated in theshipping address data associated with the container 14. For example, thepackage can be routed to an alternate tip position 50 from which theproduct within the container 14 will to be taken to a disposal site. Or,the container 14 can be routed to a tip position 50 from which thepackage will be shipped along a modified route that takes it to a secondreceiver who can make use of the product impacted by the adverseenvironmental condition. Yet another possibility is that the container14 will be routed to a tip position 50 from which the package will beplaced in a holding area. The container 14 may be placed in a holdingarea so that it can be inspected, or to await further instructions fromthe sender 16, the receiver 18 or any other party authorized to redirectthe container 14 when it is determined that the environmental conditionof the package has transcended a minimum or maximum limit or range basedon the product environment data 85 obtained from the sensor 12.

Continuing with FIG. 2, in one embodiment the computer system 22 can beconfigured to generate a transporting instruction 87 for the container14 based on the product environment data 85 read from the sensor 12. Toaccomplish this, the hub control unit 44 transmits the productenvironment data 85 to the computer system 22 via the network 32.Preferably, the hub control unit 44 also transmits identification data83 and tracking data 84 associated with the product 13 and/or container14 to the computer system 22 via the network 32. In one embodiment, theidentification data 83 comprises a tracking identifier 23 for uniquelyidentifying the product 13 and/or container 14 during the shippingprocess, and the tracking data 84 comprises time and location dataidentifying when and where, respectively, the scanning of the packagetook place. The computer system 22 is operable to determine whether theenvironmental condition of the product 13 within the container 14 hastranscended a minimum or maximum limit or range based on the productenvironment data 85. The minimum or maximum limit or range can beincluded in the product environment data 85 read from the sensor 12 andtransmitted to the computer system 22 via the network 32, or the limitscan be stored in a database that is accessible by the computer system 22using the identification data 83 associated with the product 13 and/orcontainer 14.

In one embodiment, if the computer system 22 determines that theenvironmental condition has not transcended a minimum or maximum limitor range of permissible values based on the product environment data 85,the container 14 will continue to be routed towards the receiver 18indicated in the shipping address data associated with the package. Inthis situation, the computer system 22 can generate the appropriatetransporting instruction 87 and transmit it to the hub control unit 44via the network 32. In another embodiment, so long as it is determinedby the computer system 22 that no limits or range was transcended, thecomputer system 22 will not interfere with the hub control unit 44 andallow it to generate the transporting instruction based on the shippingaddress data. However, if the computer system 22 determines that theenvironmental condition has transcended a minimum or maximum limit orrange based on the product environment data, the computer system 22 cangenerate a transporting instruction 87 indicating that the transportingis to be performed differently as compared to normal processing byshipment to the receiver 18 indicated by the address data associatedwith the product 13 and/or container 14. The computer system 22 can thentransmit the transporting instruction 87 via the network 32 to one ormore points within the carrier's logistics network 20, including but notlimited to, the hub 28 from which the product environment data 85 wasreceived.

As described in the embodiments above, a transporting instructionassigned to a container 14 housing the product 13 can be generated atthe delivery hub 28 by the hub control unit 44 or it can be generated bythe computer system 22 and transmitted via a network 32 to the hubcontrol unit. In either situation, the transporting instruction assignedto the product 13 and/or container 14 is sent from the hub control unit44 to the machine controller 46. In one embodiment, the machinecontroller 46 implements the transporting instruction. Machinecontrollers such as unit 46 are known in the art. In general, thesortation system 36 uses conventional systems, including belt opticalencoders, to track the position of containers 14 with their products 13as they move through the hub 28. The sort machinery unit(s) 48 used totrack and direct the movement of containers 14 and products 13 through ahub facility are known in the art. Information about the use of tilttrays in a sortation system is available in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,433,311 and5,489,017, both issued to Bonnet and both of which are hereinincorporated by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,211 to Huang and U.S.Pat. No. 5,547,063 to Bonnet also discuss the use of the sorter in thehub, and these patents too are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a computer system 22 in accordance withthe invention depicted in FIGS. 1-2. The computer system 22 includes aserver 58 and a data storage unit 78. The server 58 comprises aprocessor 60 and memory 62. The server 58 can also comprise interfaceunits 64, 66, and bus 65. The processor 60 can be coupled via the bus 65to receive and transfer signals and/or data to and from the memory 62and interface units 64, 66 as it executes various software code storedin the memory 62. More specifically, the memory 62 stores varioussoftware executed by the processor 60, including an operating system 67for controlling the allocation and usage of hardware resources; a serverapplication 68 for processing identification data 83, tracking data 84,and product identification data 85 received from the carrier logisticsnetwork 20. The server application 68 can be executed by the server 58to store the data 83, 84, 85 in the data storage unit 78. The serverapplication 68 can be executed by the server 58 to generate atransporting instruction 87 for providing to machinery and/or worker(s)within the carrier logistics network 20.

The memory 62 can store a database management system (DBMS) 69 forgenerating commands to store, modify, delete, retrieve, join, divide,etc. data in the data storage unit 78. The memory 62 can store acommunication module 70 for handling communications and data transmittedto and from, respectively, the server; security software 71 forperforming user authentication and other security-related services suchas encryption and decryption of data transmitted and received by theserver; and a simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) module 72 to be usedin one embodiment of the invention when sending and/or receiving emailnotifications over a network 32. The memory 62 can include a datastorage area or buffer 73 that can be used by any of the softwaremodules listed above to store and retrieve data generated or required inthe execution of such code. The first interface unit 64 is used by theprocessor 60 to send and receive data over a network 32, and the secondinterface unit 66 is used to transfer data between the server 58 and thedata storage unit 78.

The data storage unit 78 stores a database 80. In one embodiment, thedatabase 80 contains records of related data fields including a user IDand password 81, and account data 82 associated with the user ID andpassword. For each container 14 and its product 13 that are associatedwith a user account, the database 80 contains identification data 83stored in association with tracking data 84 and product environment data85. The identification data 83 can include a tracking identifier 23 suchas a “1Z” alphanumeric character string for uniquely identifying thecontainer 14 during the shipping process. The tracking data 84 caninclude data identifying the date, time, and/or place of particularevents associated with the container 14 as it is transported from asender 16 to a receiver 18 within a carrier's logistics network 20. Suchevents can include the arrival or departure of the container 14 at orfrom particular locations within the logistics network of the carrier 20as the package is transported. The tracking data 84 can also include theidentity of persons handling the package, such as the pickup or deliverydriver, or a person acknowledging receipt of the package at a particularlocation by signing for the package.

In one embodiment, the product environment data 85 includes at least onemeasurement of temperature, pressure, vacuum, vibration, shock,humidity, moisture, light, air, and a chemical to which the product 13within the container 14 has been exposed. Furthermore, the data storageunit 78 can store limit/range data 86, which defines the limit or rangeof measurements of an environmental condition prescribed to beacceptable to prevent spoilage of a product 13 under shipment. Thelimit/range data 86 can be used by the processor 60 to determine whethera product 13 has been subjected to an environmental condition adverselyimpacting the product by comparing the product environment data 85 withthe limit/range data 86 to determine whether an acceptable limit hasbeen transcended. The resulting determination can be used by theprocessor 60 to route the product 13 accordingly.

FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram that illustrates the steps fortransporting a product 13 in a container 14 based on product environmentdata 85 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Atstep S100, a scanning device scans an environmental sensor 12 physicallyassociated with the product 13 in the container 14 at a location withinthe carrier's logistics network 20, to read product environment data 85from the sensor. As previously mentioned, the container 14 can be anindividual package, a shipping container, or any other type of containerenclosing a product that is transported from a sender 16 to a receiver18. In one embodiment, the environmental sensor 12 is a radio-frequencyidentification (RFID) sensor tag, and the scanner is an RFIDinterrogator that transmits and receives radio frequency signals fromthe tag in the performance of the scanning step.

The nature of the product environment data 85 obtained in the scanningstep depends on the type of sensor 12 used. The environmental sensor 12can be capable of sensing one or more environmental conditions to whichthe product 13 is subjected, such as temperature, pressure, the presenceor absence of a vacuum, vibration, shock, humidity, moisture, light,air, and the presence or absence of a particular chemical. In oneembodiment, the sensor 12 can be configured to generate productenvironment data 85 that comprises time data generated in associationwith corresponding product environment samples for indicating the timeof sensing the environment condition associated with the container 14.In another embodiment, the environmental sensor 12 can be programmed todetermine whether the environment condition of the container 14 hastranscended a minimum and/or maximum limit, or a range of permissiblevalues, based on the product environment data 85. In yet anotherembodiment, the sensor 12 can comprise a visual indicator operable tosignify that the environment condition of the contained product 13 hastranscended a minimum and/or maximum limit or range. For example, thevisual indicator can include at least one light-emitting diode (LED)illuminated so as to change from a first color to a second color inresponse to the environment condition of the contained producttranscending a minimum and/or maximum limit or range. Other types ofsensors 12 previously mentioned can also be used effectively in thesystem 10.

At step S102 of FIG. 4, a scanning device is used to read identificationdata 83 from at least one of the product 13 and container 14. Theidentification data 83 can be stored on the environmental sensor 12, ashipping label 21 affixed to the container 14, or some other tagassociated with at least one of the product and container. Theidentification data 83 preferably includes a tracking identifier 23 thatuniquely identifies at least one of the product 13 and container 14. Thetracking identifier 23 can be an identifier that is typically used by acarrier to track packages. Alternatively, the identification data 83 canbe Electronic Product Code™ indicia embedded in memory contained withina smart tag or chip on a particular product. At step S104, the product13 and/or container 14 is scanned to read shipping address data thatindicates the shipping address of a receiver 18 to which the product andcontainer 14 are to be sent. The shipping address data can be stored onthe environmental sensor 12, a shipping label 21 affixed to thecontainer 14, or some other tag physically associated with at least oneof the product and container.

At step S106, a computer system connected to receive the scanned datafrom the one or more scanning devices used in the above-indicated stepsdetermines whether the environmental condition of the contained product13 has transcended a minimum or maximum limit or passed outside of aprescribed range based on the product environment data 85. In oneembodiment, the computer system performing the determining step is thehub control unit 44 of the hub 28 of FIG. 2, which generates atransporting instruction based on the determining step. In anotherembodiment, the determining step can be performed by the computer system22 of FIGS. 1-2. In this embodiment, the scanned data can be transmittedvia a network 32 to the computer system 22, which then determineswhether the environmental condition of the contained product hastranscended a minimum or maximum limit or range based on the productenvironment data 85. The computer system 22 can generate a transportinginstruction 87 based on the determining step, and then transmit theinstruction via the network 32 to at least one point within thecarrier's logistics network 20, such as a hub 28 or a delivery driver30, for use in transporting the product and container 14.

The transporting of the container 14 depends on whether a minimum ormaximum limit or range was transcended based on the product environmentdata 85. Minimum or maximum limits defining a limit or range ofpermissible values can be stored in the environmental sensor 12, or theycan be stored in a database accessible by the carrier 20 using theidentification data 83 associated with at least one of the product 13and container 14. If the product environment data 85 indicates that nolimit or range has been transcended, then at step S108 of FIG. 4, thecarrier will continue transporting the product and container 14 to thereceiver 18 identified in the shipping address data. However, if it isdetermined that a minimum or maximum limit has been transcended based onthe product environment data 85, then at step S110 the transportinginstruction 87 may direct a carrier facility to transport the productand container 14 differently than handling that would otherwise be usedin the performance of step S108. For example, the result of transcendinga particular limit or range can be such as to require that the product13 and container 14 be rerouted to an alternate destination. Thealternate destination may be a disposal site, or a different receiverthan the receiver 18 to whom the product and container 14 wereoriginally to be sent. The alternate destination can be identified bydata stored on the environmental sensor 12, or it can be stored in adatabase accessible by the computer system 22 using the identificationdata 83.

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram that illustrates the steps forgenerating history data indicating the conditions to which a product 13in a container 14 is subjected during shipping in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. One advantage to generating suchhistory data is that it allows the carrier, customers and otherauthorized personnel to analyze the data so as to look for possiblepatterns of environmental conditions that may be occurring duringcertain times and/or at certain places within a carrier's logisticsnetwork 20. For one thing, this can be very beneficial for testing thedurability and effectiveness of different types of packaging under avariety of environmental conditions. Additionally, the environmentalhistory data provides both carrier and customers with the ability tolook for adverse conditions that may be recurring at various pointsalong particular shipping routes. In some cases, upon detecting such aproblem, a customer may be able to request that shipments of aparticular type of product 13 be shipped via an alternate route so as toavoid the adverse condition(s) associated with a particular shippinglane within the carrier's logistics network 20. Similarly, the carriercan use the data as a diagnostic tool to help identify and correctrecurring problems within its logistics network 20.

At step S200, a scanning device scans an environmental sensor 12physically associated with a product 13 in a container 14 at one or morelocations to read product environment data 85 from the sensor. Thecontainer 14 may be an individual package, a shipping container, or anyother type of container enclosing a product 13 that is transported froma sender 16 to a receiver 18. In one embodiment, the sensor 12 is aradio-frequency identification (RFID) sensor tag, and the scanner is anRFID interrogator 40 that transmits and receives radio frequency signalsfrom the tag in the performance of the scanning step.

At step S202, a scanning device is used to read identification data 83from the product 13 and/or the container 14. The identification data 83can be stored on the environmental sensor 12, a shipping label 21affixed to the container 14, or some other tag physically associatedwith the product and/or container. The identification data 83 preferablyincludes a tracking identifier 23 that uniquely identifies at least oneof the product 13 and container 14. The tracking identifier 23 can be anidentifier that is typically used by a carrier to track packages, or itmay comprise Electronic Product Code™ indicia or data embedded in amemory chip contained within a smart tag on a particular product. Atstep S204, the identification data 83 and the product environment data85 are transmitted via a network 32 from the one or more scanners 41performing the scanning to a computer system 22.

At step S206 of FIG. 5, the identification data 83 and productenvironment data 85 is received at the computer system 22 via thenetwork 32 from the one or more scanners 41 performing the scanning. Thecomputer system 22, in step S208, stores the product environment data 85in association with the identification data 83 in the computer system.At step S210, tracking data 84 is generated. This can be done, forexample, by configuring the scanner 41 to “timestamp” the scanned datain a manner known in the art. In another embodiment, the computer system22 can be programmed to identify the particular location of a scanner 41based on a received scanner ID number, so that when the computer system22 receives tracking data in association with a particular scanner IDnumber, the computer system can refer to a database to retrieve thisdata. The tracking data 84 can comprise time, date and/or location ofthe product 13 and container 14 during the performance of the scanning.The tracking data 84 can further comprise data indicating such things asthe identity of persons handling a container 14, such as a pickup ordelivery driver, or a person acknowledging receipt of the package at aparticular location by signing for the package.

Turning now to FIG. 6, the process continues at step S212, wherein thetracking data 84 is transmitted via the network 32 to the computersystem 22 from a scanner 41 performing the scanning. The tracking data84 is received at the computer system 22 at step S214, and in step S216the tracking data 84 is stored in association with the identificationdata 83 and the product environment data 85 in the computer system. Thedata stored in the computer system 22 provides history data indicatingthe environmental conditions to which the product 13 in the container 14has been subjected to at a plurality of locations and times in thetransporting of the product.

At step S218, the computer system 22 receives via the network 32 arequest from a user of a computing device to access product environmentdata 85 associated with a container 14. In one embodiment, the requestincludes identification data 83 for identifying the container 14. Therequest can also include user identification data, such as a usernameand password 81, to be used by the computer system 22 in determiningwhether a particular user is authorized to access the productenvironment data 85. Based on the data in the request, at step S220 thecomputer system 22 retrieves the product environment data 85 that theuser is authorized to access, and in step S222 the computer systemtransmits the product environment data 85 in association with thetracking data 84 from the computer system to the computing device viathe network 32.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which thisinvention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. For example, thoseskilled in the art will recognize that the functionality of the computersystem 22 as described in FIG. 3 can be carried out on a plurality ofcomputers capable of communicating via a network 32 such as the Internetor other communication network, and, accordingly, need not be discussedhere for an understanding of the subject invention. In other words,rather than have a single server 18 to perform the described functions,these functions can be executed by two or more distributed computers,and such modification is expressly contemplated to be within the scopeof this invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventionis not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and thatmodifications and other embodiments are intended to be included withinthe scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employedherein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation.

1. A system comprising: an environmental sensor associated with aproduct in a container; at least one scanner for scanning the sensor atone or more locations to read product environment data from the sensor;and a computer connected to communicate with the at least one scanner,the computer generating a transporting instruction for transporting thecontainer and product based on the scanned product environment data. 2.A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transporting instruction isgenerated based on determining whether the environmental condition ofthe contained product has transcended a limit based on the productenvironment data.
 3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensorstores shipping address data of a receiver to which the container andproduct are to be sent, the transporting performed by a carrier so as totransport the container and product to the receiver based on theshipping address data so long as the determining has not establishedthat the environmental condition has transcended the limit, and thetransporting performed differently to other than the receiver if theenvironmental condition has transcended the limit.
 4. A system asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one scanner is further used forscanning identification data from at least one of the container andproduct.
 5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor generatestime data and stores product environment data in association with thetime data to indicate the time of sensing the environment condition. 6.A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a visualindicator operable to signify that the environmental condition of thecontained product has transcended a limit.
 7. A system as claimed inclaim 6, wherein the visual indicator comprises at least onelight-emitting diode (LED) that illuminates in response to theenvironment condition to which the product is subjected transcending alimit.
 8. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises aradio-frequency identification (RFID) sensor tag, and the scannertransmits and receives radio frequency signals from the tag in theperformance of scanning the sensor.
 9. A system as claimed in claim 1,wherein the sensor is placed inside the container.
 10. A system asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is affixed to an outer surface ofthe container.
 11. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor ispositioned on the product inside of the container.
 12. A system asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the environmental condition sensed by thesensor to generate the product environment data includes at least one oftemperature, pressure, vacuum, vibration, shock, humidity, moisture,light, air, and a chemical.
 13. A system as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe sensor comprises a temperature sensor, and the product environmentdata generated by the sensor comprises at least one measurement of atemperature level to which the product has been exposed.
 14. A system asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a pressure sensor, andthe product environment data generated by the pressure sensor comprisesat least one measurement of a pressure level to which the product hasbeen exposed.
 15. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensorcomprises a vacuum sensor, and the product environment data generated bythe vacuum sensor comprises at least one measurement of a vacuum levelto which the product has been exposed.
 16. A system as claimed in claim1, wherein the sensor comprises a light sensor, and the productenvironment data generated by the light sensor comprises at least onemeasurement of an amount of light to which the product has been exposed.17. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises achemical sensor, and the product environment data generated by thechemical sensor comprises at least one measurement of an amount of achemical to which the product has been exposed.
 18. A system as claimedin claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an air sensor, and the productenvironment data generated by the air sensor comprises at least onemeasurement of an amount of air to which the product has been exposed.19. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises avibration sensor, and the product environment data generated by thevibration sensor comprises at least one measurement of an amount ofvibration to which the product has been exposed.
 20. A system as claimedin claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a shock sensor, and the productenvironment data generated by the shock sensor comprises at least onemeasurement of an amount of shock to which the product has been exposed.21. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises ahumidity sensor, and the product environment data generated by thehumidity sensor comprises at least one measurement of an amount ofhumidity to which the product has been exposed.
 22. A system as claimedin claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a moisture sensor, and theproduct environment data generated by the moisture sensor comprises atleast one measurement of an amount of moisture to which the product hasbeen exposed.
 23. A computer system comprising: a server capable ofcommunicating with a plurality of remote computers via a network, saidremote computers operable to transmit at least one of productenvironment data, tracking data and identification data associated withat least one of a container and product, to the server via the network;and a database accessible by the server for storing product environmentand tracking data in association with identification data.
 24. Thecomputer system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the tracking datacomprises time and location data identifying when and where at least onescanning operation of a contained product took place.
 25. The computersystem as claimed in claim 23, wherein the identification data comprisesa tracking identifier uniquely identifying at least one of the containerand product.
 26. An apparatus comprising: a database storage unitstoring identification data associated with at least one of a containerand product; tracking data associated with the identification data; andproduct environment data associated with the identification data and thetracking data.
 27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein thetracking data comprises time and location data identifying when andwhere, respectively, at least one corresponding scanning of thecontained product took place.
 28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 26,wherein the identification data comprises a tracking identifier uniquelyidentifying at least one of the container and product.
 29. A methodcomprising: scanning an environmental sensor physically associated witha product in a container at one or more locations to read productenvironment data from the sensor; and transporting the container andproduct based on the product environment data.
 30. A method as claimedin claim 29, further comprising: determining whether the environmentalcondition of the contained product has transcended a limit based on theproduct environment data, the transporting step being performed based onthe determining step.
 31. A method as claimed in claim 30, wherein thecontainer has a shipping label having shipping address data indicating ashipping address of a receiver to which the container and product are tobe sent, the transporting performed so as to transport the container andproduct to the receiver based on the shipping address data so long asthe determining has not established that the environmental condition hastranscended the limit, and the transporting performed differently if theenvironmental condition has transcended the limit.
 32. A method asclaimed in claim 30, wherein the sensor stores shipping address data ofa receiver to which the container and product are to be sent, thetransporting performed so as to transport the container and product tothe receiver based on the shipping address data so long as thedetermining has not established that the environmental condition hastranscended the limit, and the transporting performed differently if theenvironmental condition has transcended the limit.
 33. A method asclaimed in claim 30, wherein the container and product are routed to analternate destination if the determining establishes that theenvironmental condition has transcended the limit.
 34. A method asclaimed in claim 33, wherein the alternate destination includes adisposal site.
 35. A method as claimed in claim 33, wherein thealternate destination includes a different receiver than the receiver towhom the container and product were originally to be sent.
 36. A methodas claimed in claim 30, further comprising: transmitting the productenvironment data via a network from a scanner performing the scanning,to a computer system for storage therein.
 37. A method as claimed inclaim 36, further comprising the steps of: scanning identification datafrom at least one of the container and product; transmitting theidentification data to the computer system; receiving identificationdata and product environment data from the scanner at the computersystem via the network; and storing the product environment data inassociation with the identification data at the computer system.
 38. Amethod as claimed in claim 36, wherein the determining is performed bythe computer system based on the received product environment data. 39.A method as claimed in claim 38, further comprising the step of:generating a transporting instruction at the computer system forperformance of the transporting based on the product environment data.40. A method as claimed in claim 39, further comprising the step of:transmitting the transporting instruction from the computer system to atleast one point within a carrier's logistics network for performance ofthe transporting step.
 41. A method as claimed in claim 36, furthercomprising the steps of: generating tracking data including at least oneof the time and location of the product during the performance of thescanning; transmitting the tracking data to the computer system;receiving tracking data at the computer system; and recording thetracking data in association with the identification data and productenvironment data.
 42. A method as claimed in claim 36, furthercomprising: receiving at the computer system via the network a requestfrom a user of a computing device to access product environment data fora package, the request including identification data associated with atleast one of the container and product; retrieving the productenvironment data based on the identification data; and transmitting theproduct environment data from the computer system to the computingdevice via the network.
 43. A method as claimed in claim 30, wherein thedetermining is performed by the sensor to produce determination datascanned in the scanning step.
 44. A method as claimed in claim 30,wherein the sensor generates time data and stores product environmentdata in association with the time data to indicate the time of sensingthe environmental condition.
 45. A method as claimed in claim 30,wherein the sensor comprises a visual indicator operable to signify thatthe environmental condition of the contained product has transcended alimit.
 46. A method as claimed in claim 45, wherein the visual indicatorcomprises at least one light-emitting diode (LED) that illuminates inresponse to the environment condition to which the product is subjectedtranscending the limit.
 47. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein thecontainer is a package.
 48. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein thecontainer is a shipping container.
 49. A method as claimed in claim 29,wherein the sensor comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID)sensor tag, and the scanner transmits and receives radio frequencysignals from the tag in the performance of the scanning step.
 50. Amethod as claimed in claim 49, wherein the sensor is placed inside thecontainer.
 51. A method as claimed in claim 49, wherein the sensor isaffixed to an outer surface of the container.
 52. A method as claimed inclaim 49, wherein the sensor is positioned on the product inside of thecontainer.
 53. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein theenvironmental condition sensed by the sensor to generate the productenvironment data includes at least one of temperature, pressure, vacuum,vibration, shock, humidity, moisture, light, air, and a chemical.
 54. Amethod as claimed in claim 29, wherein the sensor comprises atemperature sensor, and the product environment data generated by thetemperature sensor comprises at least one measurement of a temperaturelevel to which the product has been exposed.
 55. A method as claimed inclaim 29, wherein the sensor comprises a pressure sensor, and theproduct environment data generated by the pressure sensor comprises atleast one measurement of a pressure level to which the product has beenexposed.
 56. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the sensorcomprises a vacuum sensor, and the product environment data generated bythe vacuum sensor comprises at least one measurement of a vacuum levelto which the product has been exposed.
 57. A method as claimed in claim29, wherein the sensor comprises a light sensor, and the productenvironment data generated by the light sensor comprises at least onemeasurement of an amount of light to which the product has been exposed.58. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the sensor comprises achemical sensor, and the product environment data generated by thechemical sensor comprises at least one measurement of an amount of aknown chemical to which the product has been exposed.
 59. A method asclaimed in claim 29, wherein the sensor comprises an air sensor, and theproduct environment data generated by the air sensor comprises at leastone measurement of an amount of air to which the product has beenexposed.
 60. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the sensorcomprises a vibration sensor, and the product environment data generatedby the vibration sensor comprises at least one measurement of an amountof vibration to which the product has been exposed.
 61. A method asclaimed in claim 29, wherein the sensor comprises a shock sensor, andthe product environment data generated by the shock sensor comprises atleast one measurement of an amount of shock to which the product hasbeen exposed.
 62. A method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the sensorcomprises a humidity sensor, and the product environment data generatedby the humidity sensor comprises at least one measurement of an amountof humidity to which the product has been exposed.
 63. A method asclaimed in claim 29, wherein the sensor comprises a moisture sensor, andthe product environment data generated by the moisture sensor comprisesat least one measurement of an amount of moisture to which the producthas been exposed.
 64. A method as claimed in claim 29, furthercomprising: determining whether the environmental condition of thecontained product has transcended a first limit based on the productenvironment data, determining whether the environmental condition of thecontained product has transcended a second limit based on the productenvironment data, the transporting step being performed based on thedetermining steps.
 65. A method as claimed in claim 64, wherein thecontainer and product are transported using a faster level of servicethan is currently being used to transport the container and product, ifthe determining establishes that the environmental condition hastranscended the first limit, but not the second limit.
 66. A method asclaimed in claim 64, wherein the container and product are routed to analternate destination if the determining establishes that theenvironmental condition has transcended both the first limit and thesecond limit.
 67. A method comprising: receiving identification dataassociated with at least one of a container and product at a computersystem via a network from a remote scanner; receiving productenvironment data at the computer system via the network from the remotescanner, said product environment data obtained by scanning anenvironmental sensor associated with the contained product; storing theproduct environment data in association with the identification data inthe computer system; receiving tracking data associated with thecontained product at the computer system via the network from the remotescanner; and storing the tracking data in association with theidentification data and the product environment data in the computersystem.
 68. A method as claimed in claim 67, wherein the tracking datacomprises time and location data identifying, respectively, when andwhere the scanning took place.
 69. A method as claimed in claim 68,wherein the tracking identifier is identified in a printed mediumattached to the package.
 70. A method as claimed in claim 69, whereinthe printed medium comprises a shipping label.
 71. A method as claimedin claim 68, wherein the tracking identifier is identified by a shippinglabel attached to a container enclosing the product.
 72. A method asclaimed in claim 68, wherein the tracking identifier is stored in thesensor and read by a scanner to identify the contained product.
 73. Amethod as claimed in claim 67, further comprising the steps of:receiving a request to access product environment data from a remotecomputing device via the network; and transmitting the productenvironment data in association with the tracking data.
 74. A method asclaimed in claim 73, wherein the computing system receives useridentification data in the request received from the remote computingdevice, the method further comprising the step of: determining whetherthe user is authorized to access the product environment data based onthe user identification data; and selectively transmitting the productenvironment data to the user, if the determining establishes that theuser is authorized to access the product environment data.
 75. Acomputer-readable medium storing a computer program that can be executedby a computer to receive product environment data, said productenvironment data obtained by scanning an environmental sensor associatedwith a product in a container, and to generate a transportinginstruction for transporting the container and product based on theproduct environment data.
 76. A computer-readable medium as claimed inclaim 75, wherein the transporting instruction is generated based ondetermining whether the environmental condition of the product in thecontainer has transcended a limit based on the product environment data.77. A computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 76, wherein thecontainer has a shipping label having shipping address data indicating ashipping address of a receiver to which the container and product are tobe sent, the transporting instruction indicating the transporting beperformed by a carrier so as to transport the container and product tothe receiver based on the shipping address data so long as thedetermining step has not established that the environmental conditionhas transcended the limit, and the transporting instruction indicatingthe transporting be performed differently if the environmental conditionhas transcended the limit.
 78. A computer-readable medium as claimed inclaim 76, wherein the computer program can further be executed totransmit the transporting instruction to at least one point within acarrier's logistics network for performance of transporting thecontainer and product.
 79. A computer-readable medium as claimed inclaim 76, wherein the computer program can further be executed toreceive identification data associated with at least one of thecontainer and product, and store the identification data in associationwith the product environment data.
 80. A computer-readable medium asclaimed in claim 76, wherein the computer program can further beexecuted to receive tracking data, and store the tracking data inassociation with the product environment data.
 81. A computer-readablemedium as claimed in claim 80, wherein the tracking data comprises timeand location data identifying, respectively, when and where the scanningwas performed.
 82. A computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 76,wherein the container is a package.
 83. A computer-readable medium asclaimed in claim 76, wherein the container is a shipping container. 84.A computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 76, wherein the sensorcomprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensor tag, and ascanner transmits and receives radio frequency signals from the tag inthe performance of the scanning step.
 85. A computer-readable medium asclaimed in claim 76, wherein the environmental condition sensed by thesensor to generate the product environment data includes at least one oftemperature, pressure, vacuum, vibration, shock, humidity, moisture,light, air, and a chemical.
 86. A computer-readable medium storing acomputer program that can be executed by a computer to: receive productenvironment data at the computer via a network from a remote scanner,said product environment data obtained by scanning an environmentalsensor associated with a contained product; store the productenvironment data in the computer; receive tracking data associated withthe contained product at the computer via the network from the remotescanner; and store the tracking data in association with the productenvironment data in the computer.
 87. A computer-readable medium asclaimed in claim 86, wherein said tracking data comprises time andlocation data identifying when and where, respectively, the scanningtook place.
 88. A computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 86,wherein the computer program can further be executed to receive arequest to access the product environment data from a remote computingdevice via the network, and transmit the product environment data inassociation with the tracking data.
 89. A computer-readable medium asclaimed in claim 86, wherein the computer program can further beexecuted to: receive user identification data in the request receivedfrom the remote computing device; determine whether the user isauthorized to access the product environment data based on the useridentification data; and selectively transmit the product environmentdata to the user, if the determining step establishes that the user isauthorized to access the product environment data.